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Targeting the export of agricultural, forestry and fishery products to reach USD 40 billion in 2018, apart from its own efforts, the Agriculture sector expects close cooperation from the Industry and Trade sector, especially in the field of neutralizing market barriers.

Export seafood is typical commodity that has encountered many barriers in large markets. Picture: Nguyen Thanh.

Organizing drastically by the chain

In 2017, export of agricultural, forestry and fishery products was over $ 36 billion, exceeding expectations as well as targets set early this year. However, the export process met not only favourable business conditions, but also many difficulties from natural disasters and non-tariff barriers from key markets, such as the United States, the EU ...

Addressing the problem, the agriculture sector will face barriers in the export market in 2018 as well as in the further future, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Mr Nguyen Xuan Cuong said: In the context of economics and Vietnam Association penetrating the world economy, Vietnam must accept equality of competition and willingness to prepare for dealing with technical barriers and trade barriers set up by the markets.

On the one hand, we negotiate with other countries to remove market barriers. On the other hand, we must organize the production chain drastically from raw materials, processing, preservation, trade, and product consumption ... The production chain can reduce costs, manage product quality as well as harmonizing the benefits of partners in the value chain, ensuring benefits to farmers. Farmers will be encouraged to cooperate with enterprises, join cooperatives, form closed production chains, and bring suitable products to markets," said Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong.

According to Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Mr Tran Thanh Nam, in 2018, based on what MARD and the Ministry of Industry and Trade have coordinated, MARD expects the Ministry of Industry and Trade to co-ordinate and support in analyzing the market. At present, meeting the requirements of development, associations and enterprises raise many issues related to information market, including the analysis of the focus market, potential markets, niche market ... "This year, we have proposed the Ministry of Industry and Trade co-ordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and some companies to focus on market analysis so that associations and enterprises can identify their strengths and weaknesses and orient them to develop suitable export markets,” Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam said.

In fact, the associations and businesses pay great attention to the information on export markets, that many localities quite respect. At present, localities more areas for raw materials for both the domestic and export market. Acknowledging the information about export markets, the locality will have a plan to focus on directing and ensuring material areas that meet the requirements of consumption and export better.

Promote building trademark

Around the issue of cooperating to promote export, raising added value for agricultural products, Vice Minister Tran Thanh Nam expressed, that we must promote the construction and develop the trade-mark of goods. Over the past years, the goods have developed strongly but the weakness is the limited branding, affecting prestige and quality. In 2017, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has cooperated with Ministry of Industry and Trade and Ministry of Science and Technology to focus on building the rice brand. "In 2018, the orientation is to focus on building trademarks for two major export seafood products such as pangasius and shrimp. Hopefully, this year, the coordination will be deployed strongly, ensuring the position of Vietnam’s agricultural products on the world market," Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam stressed.

Regarding the solution to promote agricultural, forestry and fishery export, some experts point out: At present, the trend is that some countries apply barrier measures, even using communication to smear export products of Vietnam. For example, last time, in the Indian market, protecting domestic goods, this country adopted a minimum tax policy. This made the import of Vietnamese goods to India increase in price. A number of contracts of Vietnamese enterprises are canceled, that should be proposed to the Minister of Agriculture of India to review. In general, due to the difficult situation, countries do have to take measures to protect their domestic production. If these measures imposed on FTAs are not appropriate, the two ministries, Agriculture and Rural Development and Industry, must continue to struggle to protect agricultural products for export.

According to the experts, both the Departments, branches, and localities, also need to have a firmer handshake, especially in building the areas of raw material, developing commodity, ensuring hygiene and food safety, anti-smuggling and trade frauds.